New Shop Storage

[Chet]

Submitted on the old forum by Chet

The last couple of weeks had me doing some projects for the shop.  I rebuilt my under saw storage. Kev helped me build the existing one about 4 years ago. It was built to fit in a certain area by the table saw but do to getting some new and larger tools I ended up moving it and the second location was okay but lest then ideal because of the size. One down side to the latest location was it made it hard to operate the hand wheel to adjust the blade tilt on the table saw.  I spent some time trying to come up with a design that would make it a little narrower and still store the things I have in the cabinet.

Thanks to Shawn posting a picture of his blade storage I was able to accomplish what I wanted and I have one drawer in the new cabinet that has very little in it.  So I am real happy with the out come.  But as you will see I need to get to the hardware store to get one more matching knob.

Thanks for the idea Shawn!!!  It really helped out.

The other thing I wanted to do was rebuild my clamp rack. I like the one I had but because of an increase in the number of clamps it was no longer enough. In the past few years because of some larger projects I had to get some longer parallel clamps and then just at the end of the year I had a project that involves some bent lamination I had to up the F style clamp inventory form 4 to 18.

The other thing I needed to improve on the rack was I needed things to slant back toward the wall a little. My shop wall on that side leans from the floor up to the ceiling in about a degree and a half. So if you mount something like a shelf at 90 degrees to the wall, the shelf would be sloping down back to front and the clamp rack does the same thing so I have to constantly push them back.

The other challenge is I only have about 60 linear inches to work with. I would have liked t stay with the style of rack that I had but the room just isn't there for that and still have all the clamps in one location. So I went with a new design that Keeps everything in one area.

The old rack.



And the new rack.

Follow up posts

1) Nice work on both projects!

2) Smart use of the space, nice job Chet!

3) The cabinet and rack both look really nice. I love the how the tabs are done for which saw blade is which. Very nice!

4) Love the under saw cabinet! Like how the blade storage area keeps the blades in their own place with nothing touching the teeth. Clamp rack looks handy and packs a lot of clamps in a tight space. Nice job sir.

5) Very nicely done!

6) Nice addition you did. Just a better way of adapting to fit your space

7) I have to give all the credit to Shawn on this one, it was his idea that I stole.

8  Are the tabs for the blades lasered? Looks great!

9) No, my engraver does traditional engraving where it actually "scratches" into the metal.  It uses diamond tip cutters and operates just like a CNC machine.

10) Very well done Chet. Nice set of clamps. And your shop looks as clean as Kev’s!

11) Chet, will you take a pic when you get a chance of your ds stand/setup? I’m assuming those are extra belts for your sander in the cabinet below it?

12) Ah very cool! Great work! 

13) Ken, my drum sander cabinet is almost identical to Kev's but with out the walnut.  What you are seeing in the rack is my sanding discs for my Festool sander. 

14) I really think I need to do a video on this build and create some plans! I really wish there was someone close enough to me to come pick it up when it's finished as I just don't need 2 of them..

15) If you built another, is there a way for you to use for the mortiser or another current or future tool?

16) Very interesting question!

I currently have a drawer dedicated to a tenoning jig that I just never use.  I have another drawer dedicated to 1/4" shanked router bits that I rarely use and don't belong in this location in the current shop.  Ok, time to shorten the story...  I only have one drawer dedicated to things that actually go with this sander..  It was designed for the original shop.

Yes, the storage space could easily be changed to fit the needs of individual shops.  I don't think the HCM would fit in it, especially with a lift unless I made the stand much taller and I really like the height of the cabinet.

The current cabinet also doesn't incorporate wheels.  I could see this being very important in many shops!

I have no issues building another and giving away the current one or, if I were building to someone else's shop, giving that one away.  It would be cool to find a design that really creates a well rounded solution.

16) I like the idea to go after a well rounded solution. You should have plenty of time to think it through with no internet 

17) I have a little bit of internet..

The issue is that the stand has more storage than a drum sander needs.  So, what else lives in this cabinet?  That will most likely be a different answer for each shop

18) For my setup I was thinking about pitching the steel legs, building a cabinet with paper roll storage and since it’s by my shaper, packing it full of dedicated storage for shaper cutters and wrenches. It would still have to be portable for my setup.  

19) That's exactly what I'm talking about..  For you, a place to store shaper parts but, for me when I built mine, it was mostly about sanding supplies..

In the end, the space is the same, it's how you configure the storage within that space.

I want to measure (when I get home) to see if there's enough space to mount a lift like I did in my OF table..  The end where I have drawers might be a cool place to mount something like a spindle sander..

20) That is a great idea! Hopefully it will work!